Kill the Urge
by Hootenator
Summary: When Lucy decides to go on a solo mission to gain inspiration for her novel, she suddenly vanishes. Natsu sets off to find her, but disappears as well. The guild is left grief stricken and the girl with the runes carved into her skin watches unnoticed. (First chapter is more of a summary than a real chapter.) *Slight spoilers*
1. Before the Mission

My very first fanfic ever, but don't be afraid to judge harshly. I appreciate all reviews and criticism and if you have any good character ideas, PM them to me and I might use them(and give you credit, of course). Let me know what you think!

Side note, if you have already read the first chapter you may notice slight variations. Nothing too dramatic, you won't need to reread it to understand the other chapters.

It was an average day in the guild of Fairy Tail. Several tables were reduced to ashes and twice as many chairs frozen or sliced. The ground was covered in the ruminants of shattered beer glasses, while a card mage was happily licking up the frothy remainder of the spilled beer. The master openly drooled over Mirajane, who was bending over and intent on picking up the intact glasses. All the while, Lucy Heartfilia sat at the bar clicking her pen against her forehead and trying to complete her newest novel.

_Click….. _"OI, WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT ME AND JUVIA, FLAMEBRAIN."

_Click…click…._ "YOU HEARD ME, ICE PRINCESS."

Lucy sighed loudly and dropped the pen to the floor, the noise unnoticeable to anyone over the ruckus. As much as she wanted to be able to write her novel in the guild and draw inspiration from her surroundings, it was futile. She was tired of working at her desk in her house; she never got any inspirations from there. Lucy balled her hands against the bar, a determined look coming over her face. "_I'll go on a mission by myself, there's no better way to get an inspiration than that!" _Lucy thought to herself. She brushed the hair that fell in front of her slim face, and happily made her way home. If she was going to go on a tough mission by herself, she needed a good nights rest before picking out a mission tomorrow morning.

**Somewhere ****Outside ****Fiore….**

The hungry tendrils of the hellish flames burned throughout the city, reaching towards the sky in attempt to burn the heavens. The lone silhouette stood outside of the city, eagerly wanting the flames to reach their impossible destination. The figure turned away from the fire, knowing the flames would soon spread to their location. The shadow of the figure danced alongside the young human, ever growing and shrinking from the wrath of the flames. They turned towards the sky and looked at the twinkling heavens in jealousy. They sighed, and continued on their way.

"Lucy, are you going to kill me when you find out?" The young girl whispered to herself, hugging her small tattooed covered waist, feeling the rough outlines in the runes that were brutally carved into her years ago.

**Back In Fiore…**

Lucy rolled out of bed groggily, forgetting everything for a few seconds. She rubbed her eyes slowly, and suddenly sat up straight. What was that noise? She turned her head towards the source that was emanating that sound, and was unsurprised to find a snoring Natsu. She grinned evilly to herself. She stealthily crept towards the kitchen, the uncarpeted kitchen floor stark cold against her bare feet. She opened the small freezer and her hand closing around a small cube of ice from the ice box. She hurriedly tiptoed back to the bed, but stopped when she realized Natsu was no longer passed out on her bed. But….Where…? Suddenly, a figure swooped up from behind her, stealing the ice cube from her dainty hand. Before Lucy had time to process what was happening, the ice cube was transferred from Natsu's hand to opening of the back of Lucy's shirt. And it was…..FREEZING. Lucy screamed in horror, desperately hitting her back and flailing around in an attempt to get the ice cube out. Natsu roared in laughter, falling to the floor crying tears of laughter from watching his team mate suffer from his hand. Suddenly, Lucy stopped moving. In fact, she collapsed to the floor. Natsu shot up, instantly appearing by her side.

"LUCY, ARE YOU OKA- was all Natsu managed to get out before something very cold was transferred to the front of his shirt. Natsu looked down at Lucy terrified, who was evilly smiling in content and revenge. Lucy and Natsu switched places, with Lucy laughing on the floor and Natsu flailing around in horror. Eventually, the ice cube melted from Natsu's extreme body heat, but that did not make the ice cube any less cold.

"N-Natsu," Lucy gasped from laughter, before eventually calming down, "Why are you here?" Natsu stopped pouting in the corner, and excitedly turned and faced Lucy. He grabbed her hand, and smiled innocently.

"Let's go on a mission Lucy! I found the perfect one, and the reward is double your rent! That means we still have some money left for foo-

"I can't." Lucy said, looking ashamed. She kept her eyes on the floor, but when Natsu didn't respond she peeked up from her lashes at him.

"How come?" Lucy looked at Natsu, but he didn't seem upset, but instead he just looked curious.

"I need to go on a mission by myself." Lucy took a big breath before continuing, allowing her to accept she was doing this. "I am trying to write a novel, but I can't get any inspiration from anywhere." Lucy gestured tiredly. "I feel as if I go out on a mission by myself, I'll be able to draw some inspiration and write a new bestseller!" Lucy smiled at Natsu, who eagerly returned the smile.

"That sounds like a great idea! If you want, I could still help you pick out the mission." Natsu said while standing up, and reached a hand out to Lucy. Lucy gratefully accepted the gesture, and nodded in agreement. They both walked down to the guild while Lucy cheerfully talked to Natsu. However, Lucy was oblivious to the hidden sadness Natsu had of getting rejected. After all, it was the three year anniversary of their first mission together and Lucy had forgotten.

Keep in mind this chapter is more of a summary than anything. The other chapters will be more detailed and overall, just better.


	2. Abyssal Book

Lucy and Natsu had just arrived at the guild and were hovering in front of the job board, while Lucy fluttered her hand from one flyer to another desperately wanting his approval for one while Natsu shook his head at every every option; deeming they were too dangerous. Mira was happily humming to herself and cleaning beer mugs, enjoying the spectacle that was happening at the job board.

"Natsuuuu," Lucy whined pathetically, "at this rate even Nab will get a job before we manage to pick one out for me!" Lucy leaned her head against the side of the job board, while Natsu just determinedly analyzed every job.

"Oi, Luce. Look at this one." Lucy clapped her hands together while a look of happiness crossed her face, until Natsu saw the reward. "Nevermind, this won't even cover half your rent. And even more importantly, my food money." Natsu commented while raising his nose up. Lucy left Natsu to nitpick every job and slowly shuffled her way towards the empty bar. She sat down heavily at the bar stool and proceed to balance her head against the palm of her right hand. "_Maybe I should try looking for inspiration around Mongolia…_" Lucy sighed, and knew that wouldn't work. After all, she attempted that just last week. Instead of gaining inspiration, she managed to double her wardrobe and spend all her money. She shuddered at the memory of her landlady finding out she couldn't pay that month's rent.

"Lucy," Mirajane happily remarked, "if you aren't having any luck with a job, I know one that you will love!"

"Hmm?" Lucy replied, flicking her eyes up from the watermark she was tracing with her left hand that was left by a mug.

"It requires more wits than muscle, so you'll be perfect for it! I was saving it Levy, but she and Gajeel went out on job before I had a chance to give it to her." Mira enthusiastically thrusted the job into her hands, while Lucy timidly took it. She glanced over it and was slightly surprised to find out what the job entailed. Lucy continued to read the flyer and her eyebrows slowly arching up the further she made it through the description.

This...this is perfect," Lucy exclaimed, "Ooh, and look at the reward. It's more than fifteen times my rent!" A greedy grin came over Lucy's face, and she laughed slowly and evilly to herself at the thought of all that money to herself.

"Oi, Luce. Did ya find one?" Natsu remarked while peeking over Lucy's shoulder to read the paper. He glanced at the job, then back at the stellar mage's face. After he did that for the third time; Lucy finally questioned him on it. "Shush." The fire mage scolded, and rudely covered Lucy's mouth. Lucy muffled a response but realized it was useless and silently sulked while Natsu finished reading. "I suppose it'll do," the fire mage scratched his chin. "So basically you just have to destroy a book? I could help you with that." The fire mage held up his hand, almost burning the request before Lucy quickly snatched it out of his hand.

"It's the opposite of that, Natsu." The stellar mage huffed at Natsu's confused appearance before slowly explaining it. "I'm not surprised you thought I was destroying the book, while I have to destroy something related to the book." Lucy held up her finger, while pursing her lips out. "There is a book called Abyssal Book, and contains lost knowledge of magic. No one knows exactly what's in it, or who even wrote it. The legend said that the person who wrote it erased their memory, so even they don't know what the contents are! Sadly, fearing the book was too powerful a group of mages set out to destroy it. It took all the combined effort, but the best they could do was seal it with runes and hide it from human society. My job will to be to find the job and try to disperse the runes. I have been practicing since Laxus tried to take over the guild, so this will be a great test." Lucy peeked up at Natsu, who seemed to be somewhat following. "Humans have been searching for the book since the dawn of the time when humans first started battling dragons. However, this man believes he found clues to where the book might be! Aah, if I could be the one to find it ." Lucy happily hugged her face, before a confused look crept over appearance. "Mira, why isn't this an S level quest? If anything, I would expect it to be a ten year quest."

"I wondered that myself, so I asked master. He wasn't too sure himself, but master would not have given it out to our guild if he thought we couldn't do it." Mira smiled reassuringly, erasing Lucy of her confusion. Lucy nodded in agreement, before turning to Natsu and giving him her best puppy dog face.

"Natsu," Lucy looked down and played with her hands, "you won't fight me about going on this job, right?" She smiled. Natsu stared at Lucy's face for a minute, taking note on how much she wanted to go on this job. He threw his hands behind his head, and huffed loudly.

"If you really want to go on this job so badly I won't be able to stop you." He muttered loudly. He shifted his position and stood up straight. He cupped his calloused hand over her slim shoulder and stared at her. "Just be careful, okay?"

"O-of course I will!" Lucy blushed.

"After all," the fire mage said before turning around towards the door, "it would be a lot of effort to have come and save you." He rolled his head over his shoulder, amused at her irritated expression. "Anyways, I have to go do something. Meet up with me before you leave, alright? I have something to give to you for your first solo mission." He grinned boyishly at her, and continued on his way. "_Man"_, he huffed to himself while slowly trudging out of the guild, "_he hoped this mission wasn't going to take too long." _Lucy waved goodbye to everyone before leaving shortly after Natsu did. She happily hummed her way home lost in her thoughts.

(Flashback)

Layla Heartfilia stood firmly in front of the open window, the calm breeze ruffling the tendrils of hair that fell softly to her shoulders. She peered outside, to the world she wished she could still explore. She pressed her delicate hand to the window, the cold seeping through the smooth glass and greedily stealing the heat from her hand. She pressed her hand harder against the window, desperately wanting to fuse through the window and go on one last mission.

"Momma?" A small voice came from behind her, startling the woman. She removed her hand from the window and turned, giving a small smile to the child.

"Lucy, my dearest, why aren't you in bed?" Layla said, crouching down the caress her childs smooth hair.

"You never told me a story." Lucy was fighting to stay awake, but she refused to go to bed without a story. Layla smiled at her child, remembering doing the same to her mother. She stood up and led Lucy by her hand to the child's extravagant room thinking of a story to tell her daughter. Nothing came to mind, so she decided to let her child pick.

"Is there a story you want to hear in particular? I've told you so many at this point, I can't think of one I haven't told you." Lucy hopped into bed and was tucked in gently by Layla before responding.

"I know, tell me your favorite." Lucy gave her mother the most innocent of smiles before finishing. "The story about finding the great Abyssal Book."


	3. The Comfort of a Friend

I would thank everyone who followed or favorited my story, it really means so much to me. Also, shoutout to Kyoufu for leaving a review and for being awesome. I'm so glad people like my story, it makes me so excited. :p

Anyways, Back to the story!

Lucy had been so deep in her thoughts, she didn't notice she had made it home until she walked into the front door. She winced and rubbed the now angry skin on her forehead that clashed with the door. She shook her head at herself in disgust. "_How do you expect to find the Abyssal Book all by yourself if you keep that up?"_ She walked inside, the calm atmosphere of her cozy house instantly comforting her. She breathed in the smell of home, knowing it would be awhile until she was here again. She thought about how she was going to go on such a huge mission by herself, and she wouldn't be able to rely on anyone's help. She had gotten much stronger, especially after the Grand Magic Games. She could now easily perform Urano Metria, but it was a last resort since it completely drained her of almost all of her magic. So she would really have to rely on her quick thinking and wits, but thinking that there would be no use for raw strength would just be impractical. Suddenly, the smell of warm cinnamon and spices no longer comforted her and she flopped on top of her pink comforter in a huff. She wrapped her arms comfortably around her head pillow and brought her knees together. She was terrified yet utterly enthralled in this mission. The stress was slowly killing her but she has never felt more alive. The prospect of that make her nervousness ever worse, adding to the overall effect. Suddenly, the bathroom door open. A wave of hot air angrily swept over Lucy, slightly raising the temperature of the room. A freshly washed and laundered Natsu walked out, and acted surprised to find Lucy here.

"Oh, you're finally here Luce." Natsu grinned boyishly.

….

…

"NATSUUUU!" Lucy screamed, throwing the closest thing to her. She angrily wrapped the pillow around her hand; throwing it across the room and willing it to accelerate due to her hatred and malice towards him at the moment. The pillow pathetically bounced off Natsu's face, and wiped of his joyous expression for an utterly baffled one. He looked at the pillow and at Lucy, unable to wrap his head around the situation. Lucy threw her legs over the side of the comfortable bed while resting her elbows on her thighs and balancing her chin against her hands. "How many times have I told you to stop barging into my house?" Lucy whimpered forlorn.

"It's not my fault!" Natsu demanded. "Happy used the last of my shampoo, and you took forever to meet me. So I decided to meet you instead and use your shower." Natsu declared, acting as if were the simplest thing to grasp. "Although, I smell like your lavender shampoo now." Natsu admitted, unabashedly.

"_It hasn't even been two hours since he has left the guild, and who ever said he could use my bathroom?" _Lucy thought to herself. Natsu sauntered over to Lucy, and plopped himself down next to her. His weight caused the bed to sink and Lucy to lean ever so slightly towards Natsu, which she took the advantage of. She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed loudly. She gave a small smile to herself, noting how even after using her shampoo he still smelled like himself. Her thoughts went back towards the conversation she was having earlier with herself about her upcoming mission.

"Nastu?" Lucy mumbled, peeking up at the fire mage.

"Hmm?" Natsu said, snapping out of his thoughts as well. Lucy looked away from Natsu and peered at her hands instead while flexing and unflexing her fingers.

"Do you….do you think I'll be able to do this mission by myself?" She asked him dejectedly. "I may be smart enough for it, but what if I run into someone as powerful as you? I know I have gotten a lot more spirits, and physically stronger as well, but I would never be able to win against someone like you." Lucy felt Natsu stiffen, and sat back a little. "Natsu?" Lucy asked again. Natsu abruptly turned to face her, a harsh expression on his face. She raised her hand protectively in front of her face and hurriedly glanced away. After all, she had only seen him like this when someone insults one of his guildmates. There was a moment of silence before Natsu spoke, and Lucy didn't move until he did.

"Do you really think that Lucy?" Natsu asked softly. Lucy glanced up at Natsu, surprised in the change of his demeanor. Lucy silently parted her mouth, afraid of her words betraying her. He moved slightly closer to her, showing his moment of anger was over. "Your magic isn't based on how many spirits you have Lucy, or how big your muscles are." Natsu nodded his head in agreement of what he said and poke Lucy's bicep to further support his statement. "You're magic is completely unique. It molds after you. You're love for the spirits strengthens your magic. That bond is part of you, as is your quick thinking. You may not be the strongest, but you know how to analyze any situation and pull out the perfect spirit for the job. You're magic is perfect for facing the unknown, which is exactly what you are going to be doing. If anyone can pull off this mission single handedly, it's you." Lucy was in shock. In no way was she prepared for Natsu to say that, and it almost brought her to tears. She wiped her eye on her blue sleeve, and gave Natsu a watery smile.

"Natsu," Lucy managed to get out, before embracing him in a hug. Natsu hugged back after a minute, and pressed his face against her neck.

"So to answer your question, Lucy," Natsu said quietly, since his voice was muffled by Lucy's hair, "I do think you can do this mission." Lucy smiled in bliss of having all of her doubts erased in a single moment. She pulled out of the hug, before realizing something.

"Natsu," she questioned him, "didn't you have something to give me?" His boyish grin was back in full force, and he turned around before wriggling something out of his shirt.

"Just in case you start missing us." Natsu grinned while presenting a folded paper to Lucy. When she opened it she was speechless. It was one of Reedus's drawings, and it showed the whole guild. However, she remembered this day perfectly. It was the best day of her life and she could never forget it. "It's the first day became part of the guild. I figured if you ever needed help you could look at this and remember that your nakama is always here for you." Natsu explained, while pointing out the two of them. "We're by the doors, I almost forgot what the old guild looked like."

"Wait," Lucy said while peering closely at the back corner, "did he add the all the people who joined after me?" They both looked closer at the drawing and noticed Juvia, Gajeel, Wendy, Carla, PantherLily, and everyone else who joined after Lucy. Lucy smiled, knowing that she had her full nakama with her wherever she went now. "_I will find The Abyssal Book and complete this mission for my nakama, and for you, mama." _Lucy held the picture closer to herself, wishing this happiness would last forever.

Also, I plan to keep updates within a week. So that means I may publish three chapters in one day or have two chapters exactly a week apart.

I'm planning on writing more on my OC in the next chapter and explaining what her back story is. Also, I would like to thank everyone who read this again. It really does mean so much to me.


	4. Meet the Employer

SO SO SO SO SORRY. I uploaded the new chapter before I went to bed, and did not notice that it messed up somehow. thank you for for pointing it out. I owe you one. Anyways, here it the new chapter four.

I was planning on updating sooner, but school is crazy this year. Also, I decided to read the Variante manga and I'm still crying hysterically over the ending. Man, sad manga are the worst. Thank you everyone for the favorites and follows, and shout out to SakuraHeartfilia for the review. You guys are awesome! :)

Side note, you may have noticed I changed the summary. I mainly did that because I finally figured out where the plot was heading(about time). Also, a lot of authors introduce themselves. If you want to know anything about me(as long as it isn't too personal) I'll be obliged to tell you.

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><p>Lucy peered out the train window, anxiously looking for her guild members in the massive throng of the crowd. He leg bounced up and down in time to her blue eyes scanning each face looking for a familiar face. Her eyes finally rested on her pink haired companion. She then noticed Gray, Erza, Wendy, and Happy all standing around Natsu. She happily waved to them, hoping they couldn't see her nervousness. Erza gave Lucy a nod of approval accompanied by a small smile while Gray smirked and held up his hand in farewell. Happy was bawling at the thought of not getting any of the money to spend on fish while Natsu looked slightly nauseous from being this close to transportation. She blinked in surprise as the whistle signaling the train was leaving, and glanced back at her friends. She gave them a determined look, and held up one finger pointing towards the sky. The rest of the guild quickly returned the gesture while mirroring Lucy's expression. The train slowly pulled away and Lucy finally lowered her hand once the others were no longer in sight. She pressed a firm fist against her chest, and closed her eyes. "I will complete this mission, for Fairy Tail!" She laid her head down against the seat, giving a small smile to herself before blissfully falling into a deep sleep.<p>

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><p>While Lucy may have fallen asleep peacefully, she could not say the same about waking up. While her feet and ankles managed to stay on the seat, the rest of her was splayed out awkwardly on the floor. She woke up bleary eyed and with dried drool covering the left side of her face and unable to move half of her limbs. She attempted to rub the sleep out of her eyes, but even afterwards she was barely awake. The speaker blared on, alerting Lucy her stop was coming up. She did a quick check over to make sure she had her keys and small backpack, then got ready to depart. She was greeted by a warm calming breeze once she departed the train, the last bit of sleep blowing away along with the breeze. She trotted over towards the map of Clover Town, and tried to pinpoint the location of where exactly she should be headed. She mentally saved the path in her head, and started on her way. She also noticed that a coffee shop was along the way, and decided to treat herself for going through with the mission.<p>

"And maybe I could find out more about the person who's employing me." She thought happily to herself. She hummed her way through the slightly crowded street busy recalling the map she had viewed earlier. She spotted the coffee shop the hugged closely to the cobblestone roads that crossed in a crooked 'T' and quickly made her way over there. She silently pushed the door open and was greeted by the small bell softly chiming her a greeting. She waved kindly to the people behind the bar and made her way over to the corner table which leaned against the window. She sat facing the door, making it possible for her to see everyone who enters and leaves. The petite waitress in a pale rosy pink uniform, which beautifully complimented her gray eyes, came over, and shly welcomed her to the establishment. Lucy ordered a small caramel swirl with a touch of cinnamon and watched the waitress bounce away to deliver her order. She scanned the other customers and saw nothing suspicious. A young teen couple lost in each others' gazes sitting at a booth ,and a wizened old lady who looked like she could tell more stories than she had time left to live. A small girl smiling up at her parents who were proudly beaming at their daughter made Lucy look away, since it brought back too many painful memories of her parents. Out of habit, she reached down and gently placed her hand over celestial keys for comfort and reassurance. When the door suddenly swung open and two mages walked in, Lucy tightened her hand over her keys.

She wasn't one to be suspicious about people but she had a bad feeling about these mages. They were two burly men with dark hair and darker expressions. The duo walked with an intense aura surrounding them, making everything else feel miniscule. They strutted over and sat at the bar, ignoring everyone. Lucy peered at them out of the corner of her eye, and tried to listen in on their conversation but only managed to hear snippets.

"It was…rumored to...here….powerful" The first mage huffed.

"Think of….magic...book." The second man grunted in response. Lucy perked up at the mention of a book and magic. She wasn't too worried about competition, and chances are they weren't talking about The Abyssal Book. To be safe, Lucy hastily left a tip and paid for her drink. Before walking out of the building, she hovered in the doorframe. She turned around and noticed that both of the men were watching her out of the corner of their eyes. She hastily left, and scampered down towards her employer's house and made sure it would be hard to track her movements. She finally arrived in front of the entrance gate and bent over, out of breath and agitated, but there never the less. She straightened up and stretched her arms towards the darkening hazy sky, before glancing over the building that sat before her. It was an extravagant building, but nothing compared to her childhood house. She opened the rustic gate, and peered down at the small flakes of rust that clung to her hand. She wiped them on her skirt not caring that they would stick. She made her way towards the large door and peered up at the silent house. She knocked lightly on the front door. The noise seemed to resonate and increase the longer the door stayed closed. The spell was finally broken when a young butler opened the door and ushered her in. She lightly padded down the long halls after the butler, and attempted to make conversation.

"Hello, my name is Lucy. Have you been working here-"

"Please stay silent." The butler interrupted her quickly, barely speaking over a hushed whisper. After that, Lucy opted to stay silent until she was introduced to her employer. "I believe his name was Mr. Hygia, or was it Mr. Ryin?" Lucy was left to ponder that silently and almost toppled over the butler when they had reached the main office. Lucy made to thank the butler, but he briskly walked off before she could get a word out. She blinked in surprise, but quickly returned to the task in front of her. She raised her hand to knock the darkened ash wood doors, but the door opened when she touched it. She peered in, and noticed her employer across the room, staring out of the window, their hand pressed against it. She stepped onto the dark green carpet that started where the door ended and enveloped the whole room. The figure turned, and removed their hand from the window. The strutted over towards Lucy, the small yellow light that seeped underneath the door finally illuminating their face.

"Ah, you must be Lucy. I'm Mrs. Hygrin, your employer. You can call Me Everest." Everest held out her hand, and Lucy took it with a smile. However, she was in shock on the inside.

"I was off on my employer's description in every single way." Lucy thought defeately.

"Now then," Everest said while heading towards her desk,

"Shall we get started?"

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><p>The young girl sat on the abandoned swingset while letting the warm breeze lightly sway her back and forth. Her mottled red and orange hood fell back and caused her elbow length snow colored hair to fall into her face. She tucked her hair back into hood, and let her hands fall back onto her bundled and oversized cream colored shorts. She picked at the fabric while lost in thought. She dug her flats into the dirt, staining the small bows that rested on her shoes. She stood up and grabbed her bag that she had discarding a few feet away from the swingset and walked quietly away with her head down, afraid to disturb the peace. She turned around, peering at the rickety old swingset that held firm waiting for the children to come back and play.<p>

"I wonder what my childhood was like," she whispered quietly. She shook her head and quickly dismissed the thought, knowing she could not remember. She headed back towards the road and before she made it back, she had already forgotten about the swingset, like everything else in her past. She only remembered one name that was forever ingrained in her memory. She clutched her hand over her heart and whispered quietly to herself, so she wouldn't forget the name. "Lucy Heartfilia, I will find you." The wind softly blew across the road, leading her to her destination. She trekked on and with every new step she took, she forgot the last one.

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><p>Also, my OC is based loosely on my avatar.<p> 


	5. New Destinations

Sorry for the long update, the quarter ended this week and I was rushing to get everything in. Heads up, this chapter is more of a filler than anything. Sorry about that, stuff will start happening soon. I don't plan on making this too long of a fanfic.

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><p>Yet again, Lucy was lounging in the compartment of a train. She was set off for a long train ride and intended to rest until she arrived at her destination. She leaned her head back against her seat, deep in thought. She kept on trying to focus on the conversation she had with Everest, yet she found her mind straying to her guild. She wondered what they were all doing, and how they were doing.<p>

She was sure Natsu was taking job after job to stop himself from following after her, he hated the idea of not doing job requests as a team. Gray was probably as active on his stripping as Juvia was on her stalking, and who knows what Erza could be doing. Lucy was sure Levy was nose deep in at least four or more books, while Gajeel sat sulking in the corner along with PantherLily.

She shook her head in attempt to get the thoughts to leave her head, and tried to focus on what she was told to do by Everest.

* * *

><p>"<em>So," Everest softly questioned, "what is your background knowledge on The Abyssal Book?" Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but paused to gather her thoughts. <em>

"_I won't lie and say I know everything, since no one truly knows everything about the book." Lucy said slowly. "But I do know that if we are able to find it, it will change everything we know about magic. Although, that may not be a good thing." Everest gave Lucy a nod of approval and then relaxed in a chair. She tapped her fingers against the desk in front of her, her gaze never shifting away from Lucy's face._

"_So you know that finding this book might not be a good thing. No one knows exactly what this book contains, since no one has read it. It's expected to contain lost magic that no one knows and knowledge of all types of magic, but who can say for certain?" _

_She laughed dryly before continuing. "All I'm saying is this, if you get the chance, don't read the book. I have a team of researchers who are willing to die to find this information, and that very well might happen depending on if the text is cursed or not. But I need you to stay alive." Lucy nodded silently, letting the information sink in. A part of her new she wouldn't be able to read the book herself, after all it could be dangerous. _

"_What I will need you to do," Everest stated while interrupting Lucy's thoughts, "Is to disperse the runes of the book. I would prefer it if you could do that here, but if for some reason you can only disperse the runes before you retrieve the book, I would understand." Everest glanced up at Lucy, who nodded to signify that she was following along. "However, getting the book back here will be the easy part. I'm not quite dumb enough to believe that you won't face any challenges before collecting the book. Which is why, I'm giving you these." Everest reached in her desk, and pulled out three different colored celestial keys. _

"_Celestial Keys?!" Lucy gasped while extending her hand. Everest handed them over, and Lucy carefully examined each one. There first key was archaic key, adorned in small silver carvings while the body of the key was the purest of whites. The second key was drastically different. It was a deep maroon that glistened when it reflected light, and had a sleek body with only curled edges that resembled flames. The last key was a rustic gray key, with small bent curls carved into the edges. "What are these keys?" Lucy questioned while lightly tracing the outline of each key. _

"_As you can see, they aren't regular spirit keys. In fact, they don't summon spirits at all." Lucy's hand froze, and she looked up at Everest. Everest noted Lucy's confused expression and continued on with her story to alleviate Lucy of her confused state. _

"_They're called Elemental Keys. There are rumors to be five, and I spent my life trying to collect them to learn more. However, they don't do me much good." Everest shrugged before further explaining. "As you can tell, I'm no mage. Only celestial mages can use these keys, and the popularity of celestial magic is drastically declining. The keys are rumored to summon elemental storms upon the casters enemy. But, if the caster is not strong enough to use them, the storm will turn on them, killing them instead. I wish you to test them on your journey, since I am not able to test them myself." Lucy stared at the keys, before hooking them on the ring along with her other keys._

"_I've been looking for a way to prove my strength, and if I can summon these elements then it proves I am strong." Lucy said with a determined smile._

"_Good, I look forward to your report." Everest nodded. She suddenly stood up, before gesturing to the door. "You may rest and sleep here for tonight, but please set off after dawn. You have a long journey ahead of you."_

"_I will, and thank you. I will find The Abyssal Book and bring it back." Everest nodded once again, and gave Lucy a smile. _

"_If I didn't have faith in you, you would have already been heading back to where ever you came from, like the first several people." Lucy was about to ask how many other people had come here, but thought better of it. _

"_If that is all, I will be retiring for tonight."_

"_Yes, and make sure you get a good nights rest."_

"_Of course." Lucy smiled tiredly. The moment Lucy fell into the overstuffed bed, she started dreaming about her friends in Mongolia._

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><p>Lucy was jolted back into reality when the train bumped roughly over the tracks. She rested her hand over her keys, and could feel the outline of the new keys. She was determined to summon the elements, choosing to ignore the consequence for now.. She peered out the passing land of Bosco, feeling so far away from Fiore even though she passed through the border minutes ago. She settled back into her seat with a sigh, knowing she had a long trip before reaching the country of Stella. Once she got there, she could start searching. "<em>But for now, I'll take a nap."<em> She cooed happily to herself before snuggling further into the seat. She soon drifted off, travelling further and further away from her home.

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><p>Should I have a Natsu POV next chapter? I was planning on making one eventually, but if no one responds it probably won't be anytime soon.<p>

Also, many thanks for all my readers. Stay awesome. And sorry for this being mostly a filler chapter. Stuff will start happening soon. Probably.

I would also like to say that the elemental keys just sort of happened. I don't think it's too far of a stretch compared to some fanfics though, so I'll probably keep it.

Lastly, sorry for any spelling errors or anything else you noticed. It's late and I hate reviewing...so yeah.


	6. Sandwiches and Speculations

(Thanks for everyone who followed and Favorited. And if there is something you don't like, leave a review and I'll keep it in mind.)

After 10 dreary hours on a train and countless hours spent on dozens of carriages, Lucy finally arrived in Stella. Lucy had never been outside of Fiore by herself, and the idea of her being so far away from home terrified her. She couldn't let that distract her from her mission, so she busied herself with the map Everest gave her. It was the most updated map of Stella. Everest also added her ideas of where to look for The Abyssal Book.

"_So I was here," _Lucy pointed her finger at where she arrived, "_and now I'm here." _Lucy thought while tracing her finger over the route she took. "_Or is it the other way around?"_ She asked herself while flipping the map over. After taking a pathetically long time trying to figure out the map, Lucy got her bearings. She was in the first town that Everest told her to investigate.

According to the notes that Everest sprawled on the map, this was one of the first place The Abyssal Book was said to be. It was a small, desolate town that's wedged between ever expanding grasslands and a vast and dangerous forest. Almost no one lives in the town because of the dangerous creatures that currently live in the forest. The people who do live there are either mages who can protect themselves or their families. It wasn't unknown for veterans or soldiers to live there either.

Lucy had just arrived in the town, and was surprised to see how different it was then Mongolia. The buildings, no, the _huts,_ were built out of materials scavenged from the forest. They weren't built for comfort of luxury, but more for protection than anything. She wouldn't describe them as poverty stricken houses, though. They were also strategically placed so that monsters from the forest would not be able to charge into the town and overwhelm it.

Lucy had never seen anything like this town. The people looked happy enough. A group of kids ran by giggling with fresh fruits in their hands and a burly man with a blotched face chasing on their heels. She stepped out of his way, and decided to check into a hotel before looking for any information. She made it to the wooden hotel, which was built small and sturdy.

Lucy was hardly surprised that this place didn't need a massive hotel, since most people could not handle the dangers of this town. She got room 5, which was the last room they had.

After receiving her key and dropping off some of her bags, she headed back to the receptionist. She was a middle aged woman with flecks of gray in her dark brown hair. She was built small, but looked like she could manage for herself. In this town, being able to take care of yourself was a necessity. When Lucy reached the check in counter, the lady peered up from the book she was reading.

"Hello, my name is Lucy," she said cheerfully with a small wave, "I was wondering if you had any ideas of where I should go for lunch, or if there are any places I should see before I leave."

"Here looking for The Abyssal Book, are you?" She said nonchalantly, returning her gaze back to her book. Lucy's smile faltered, and she lowered her hand.

"How did you-"

"Know?" she asked, finishing Lucy's sentence for her. "If you must know," she sighed while closing her book, "all the mages that have been here the last week are looking for it. And once I saw your keys, I knew you were a celestial mage. Haven't seen any other those yet." Lucy stayed silent, so she continued.

"The first place is where I've sent everyone else who has asked about the book, Professor Andre's house. He's a bit crazy and a tad annoying, but by far the smartest one in the village. As for lunch," she said with a small smile, "Andre makes some damn good sandwiches."

Lucy sat in Mr. Andre's living room along with Mr. Andre, who had made them both lunch. There were no traces of Lucy's sandwich, or her second one. She sat sipping her tea, contemplating which question to ask first.

"Mr. Andre,"

"Please, call me Nathan." He said politely. Lucy had been expecting a wizened old man donned with a pair of glasses, and who had an overall appearance of an owl. However, he was a strong man just over the age of 30, and _attractive._ Lucy normally didn't like guys who were much older than her. Maybe it was something in the sandwich, but she couldn't stop thinking about how attractive he was.

"_Who am I, Juvia?" _Lucy shook her head to focus, and continued.

"Nathan, I'm afraid I didn't come here just for the sandwiches."

"Really?" He asked with a small laugh. "Well, if you aren't here to enjoy my amazing sandwiches, why are you here?" He questioned, leaning back into his chair.

"I was wondering if you could tell me everything you know about The Abyssal Book." He stayed silent for a moment after her question, and Lucy became worried that she offended him. The moment stretched on, and she began silently screaming inside.

"If I were to tell you all my hypotheses, and all my speculations, we would be here for the next week. However, I can tell you what many other people to believe true that aren't. The first, is that many people believe that the author erased his memory after writing the book. This isn't true, but is _based _off the truth. The magic council erased his memories, and then hid the book. It's rumored that the author never lost his memories, and have been searching for the book all this time."

"Wait," Lucy interrupted, "isn't the book ancient? How could he have been searching all this time?"

"Ah, smart girl. Think of it this way, if he knew everything about magic, and I mean _everything, _would it be so hard to believe that he found a way to extend his life, or even live forever?" Lucy nodded in agreement, and Nathan continued with his hypotheses.

"Second, that the book may not actually be a book. Since there are no records of it, we have no idea what it looks like. The only thing that is known that it's sealed in protective runes. Breaking the runes wouldn't be the hard part however. _Finding _the book is what is the hardest."

"Anything else?" Lucy asked in rapt attention.

"One last thing. Unlike the other two, I believe this to be true. This isn't completely unknown, but only a few do know about it. If you are to find The Abyssal Book, you could very well be killed by the amount of magic that the book excerpts." Lucy nodded, already knowing her life could be at stake than more ways than one. "There is another part of this. Instead of killing you, the book could also transport you to another time, or even another world. Nothing is set in stone with this book, so this could very well be another myth shrouding the book."

"You believe it to be true though, right?" Nathan rubbed his forehead, and looked at Lucy.

"All I know is this. If you aren't careful, you will be killed." Lucy looked down at her hands folded in her lap, waiting to feel the fear set in at his words. Instead, she felt adrenaline. This didn't scare her, it _excited _her. A small smile tugged on her lips, and she saw Nathan's expression change to a startled and confused one.

"What would be the fun if it wasn't dangerous?" Lucy rested her hands over her keys, and at that moment, she felt like she could do anything.


	7. Friendship and Fistfights

After days of searching for a lead on The Abyssal Book, Lucy finally found one. She went to every bar, library, shop, even the _daycare, _looking for a lead. She decided the third day that she should refer back to the map given to her by Everest.

The thought of Everest made Lucy think of the Elemental Keys. She had yet to test them out. Since it would be too dangerous to test them in the middle of town on a monster that wandered in, she used her other spirits for now.

It was killing her not to use them, but she refused to put the town in danger. Lucy focused on the map again, and saw that Everest had drawn an arrow from the town she was in, to a blank spot on the map. The spot was circled boldly, and twice.

Lucy thought that it would be right to assume it was important. Flash forward two days later, and here she was. Where she was? She had no clue. Why? She had no clue. She stared at the land that spread out in front of her. To put it lightly, Lucy was confused.

There was nothing here, and she wasn't exaggerating. There must have been a forest fire, because the city that was once here was completely, and utterly, gone. She could see outlines of where the buildings used to be, and there was still ash clinging to the ground, but that was it.

The grass was going back, and the white ash that coated it made it seem even more green. She wandered through the town, and came across a building that was still somewhat there. The roof collapsed against the building, knocking down a wall along the way. The roof was completely burnt and turned to ashes, allowing Lucy to walk into the remnants of the building. She shifted through the pile of ashes, and found nothing.

She sat down in a huff, causing the ashes to billow up into a cloud. When the ashes eventually settled over her and the ground, Lucy came up with an idea.

She pulled out her keys, and grabbed the right one. Standing up, she pointed the key towards the sky and stated loudly,

"Crux, I need you!" With several puffs of smoke and a loud pop, a sleeping spirit appeared. He awoke after a few seconds, stared at Lucy, and fell back asleep. "Crux!" Lucy said exasperated.

"Oh, Lucy." Crux yawned. "How can I help you?"

"What can you tell me about this place?" Crux fell back asleep, and after several minutes, he awoke.

"It appears that this town, formerly known as Lunaris, burned down several months ago. No one could find the source of why, but it ravaged the town.

The strangest part is, it only burnt the town. If you look, the trees and grass surrounding the town are untouched." Lucy stared, growing more confused.

"One last thing, but you won't like it." Lucy glanced back at Crux worriedly, expecting the worst.

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><p>It had been over two weeks since Lucy had left the guild. No one had heard from her, but they all knew she could handle herself when it came down to it. Life went on as normal for the guild. Except there was a decrease in the jobs available for the guild. Not that the guild wasn't getting any jobs, there was just a certain fire mage getting his hands on every job he could. In fact, he had just set out a flyer in front of Mirajane and asked if he could take this one.<p>

"Mira, I'm going to take this job." Mira eyed the job suspiciously, and noticed how opposite it was from Natsu.

"Natsu, you realize this job is to _build _a store, not destroy it?" Natsu blinked at Mira, then read over the flyer again.

"Oh, I didn't notice that. Well same difference, right?" Mira sighed defeatedly, and sent Natsu off on his way. Natsu sped off with an exhausted Happy trailing behind, heading off on his fourth job of the week. A few moments later, a very angry Gray came in.

"Oi, Mira. Have you seen the flamebrain around here? He's been hiding from me all week." His expression seemed annoyed, but Mira was an expert on reading people. She could easily tell that he was worried about Natsu. Not that he would ever admit that.

"He just left to go on another mission, it's his fourth mission in 5 days."

"What the hell, Natsu?" Gray said to no one in particular. Mira smiled in sympathy, knowing what it was like to be worried about the ones you cared for. Gray sat down and Mira slid a foaming beer across the bar for him. He downed it, and instantly relaxed.

"I wouldn't be too worried about Natsu." Mira said with a wave of her hand. Gray glanced at Mira suspiciously, unsure whether to believe her or not.

"You know how protective he is about his family. He's just upset that he can't be there to help his team mate, so he's trying to distract himself with these missions." Mira laughed to herself, "Although, if Lucy doesn't hurry up, I think Natsu might go after her."

"Well you think he wouldn't ignore the rest of his family. What is that idiot thinking?" Before Mira could respond, the door suddenly opened. Mira glanced up and saw who had entered. She smiled at Gray, and then asked him,

"why don't you ask him?" Gray flipped around on his bar stool. Natsu glanced over because the movement caught his eye, and he blanched when he saw it was Gray.

"Mira," Natsu ignored Gray for the moment and talked to Mira, "This doesn't say where I need to go for the job. Why wouldn't they add that? It's annoying." Natsu said while glaring at the paper.

"I'll tell you what's annoying, flamebrain. Having to go on solo missions because all your other teammates decided to go out by themselves." Gray said while poking Natsu in the chest.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Natsu said while brushing off Gray's finger, irritated. Gray looked surprised that Natsu didn't start arguing like usual. Gray ripped the paper out of Natsu's hand, who looked up shocked at Gray.

"You aren't going anywhere until you tell me what the hell crawled up your ass." Gray said, putting the flyer into his back pocket. Luckily, Gray only stripped his shirt.

"You wanna fight that badly, Ice Princess?" Natsu shifted into his fighting position while Gray just held up his hand.

"I asked you a question, Flamebrain. If I wanted to fight I would just say so." Instead of responding, Natsu just slapped Gray's hand away and punched him.

He was sent flying, but got up quickly.

Gray decided if this was the only way to go Natsu to talk, so be it. Gray and Natsu started fist fighting, with both of them gaining and losing equal amounts of ground.

"Nothing...Is….Wrong...With….Me." Natsu said in between punches. Gray blocked everyone, and he responded with a dry laugh.

"Bullshit. Now tell me before I start breaking a sweat." Natsu glanced up and noticed the beads of sweat the gleamed brightly against Gray's pale skin.

"You already have, and I won't-" Gray interrupted Natsu's sentence with a quick and strong blow to the stomach, causing Natsu to break through two tables and land on a chair.

"You really want to know what's bugging me?" Natsu demanded, shaking off the broken bits of chair. "Lucy said she would send a letter the moment she could, and it's been three weeks. Warren hasn't been able to get through to her. I don't know where to send my letters to, so how should I know if she's in danger or not? What if she's trapped, or worse? I don't have a good feeling about this."

"If you're that worried about her, go after her. Dumbass, how hard should it be to figure that out?"

"She said not to, she wanted _inspiration._" Natsu said, emphasizing the last word dramatically.

"And how is going to get inspiration if she's trapped or in danger?" Natsu hesitated, not knowing how to answer. Instead of waiting, Gray handed back the job flyer to Mira and shoved Natsu towards the door.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out this one, Natsu." Gray waved off after Natsu stood there for several minutes. "It's going to take awhile to get there Natsu. If you have any hope of catching up with her, leave now." Natsu opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of his. Before heading out the door, he turned and called out to Gray.

"By the way Gray, You lost that fight." Gray shook his head.

"Say that to those tables, dumbass." Natsu gave his famous grin, and headed out to catch up with Lucy.

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><p>I decided to make up for the last two slow updates, I would post this chapter early. I wrote it quickly, so there's probably some mistakes. Oh well.<p> 


	8. A Fruitful Promise

I believe I owe you guys an apology...or three. I'm so **so** sorry, I've just been putting writing this story off. Along with my homework…

Anyways, I will try to update the story tomorrow to make up for being so sucky on the updates. Sorry once again!

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><p>If Lucy had to choose, this would be one of her least favorite things to do. Scratch that, it <em>was <em>her least favorite thing to do. Lucy was grave digging. According to Crux, the information she was looking for would be found on the bodies that were burnt.

You don't think finding a whole town's worth of bodies would be hard, but you would be surprised.

Lucy had looked under every collapsed roof, ash covered street, and mossy rock that was in sight.

She was flabbergasted. She could not find a single bone.

She didn't think that someone came along and buried all of the bodies, you would be able to see the freshly turned over dirt. She sat down on the street with a sigh for the umpteenth time, and thought about where the bodies could be.

"If I were a dead crispy body," Lucy said aloud, "where would I be?"

"Well considering I'm not a dead body, I wouldn't know." Lucy mused to herself. "Wait. I'm not a dead body, and neither are the villagers!" She stood up and pumped her fist up in triumph. "There are no dead bodies!" Lucy furrowed her brow.

Her speculation, if it was even right, only brought her one step closer to finding the answer. She knew that this fire was no accident. Lucy bet her money that the fire was caused by magic, but she had no way of knowing for sure.

Lucy decided she wanted to have a better view of the village, and climbed the nearby hill. Once she reached the top she was able to see the whole village from a better angle. From here, Lucy could easily see that this would have been a bustling, happy place.

Now, the wasn't a single happy thing in the village. She leaned her back against a tall oak tree that stood firm but bent on the hill. The rough bark scratched at her back, but she didn't mind.

"You're the silent protector of a silent town, aren't you?" Lucy mused to the tree. The tree continued to lean towards the village, seeming to reach out for it.

"Do you watch what happened? It must have been awful. I'm sorry." Lucy wished she could do something for the people of the village, but she was far too late.

Now, she could only give her condolences to a tree.

"Don't worry," Lucy said to the tree, "I'll find your people, and then you won't be so lonely." She turned while she was halfway down the tree and glanced back up at the hill.

A summer breeze ruffled the emerald colored leaves on the tree, making the tree appearing to give Lucy a farewell wave. She gave herself a small smile, and left the village to be forgotten by everyone.

Well, everyone but Lucy and the tree.

* * *

><p>It had been a week since the village, and Lucy was miserable. Since the nearest town of the village was so far away, she was stuck with walking during the day and sleeping in the woods at night.<p>

Not to mention, she spent the first three days walking in the wrong direction. On the bright side, she learned how to hold a map properly.

Lucy hated camping. She didn't see the appeal of sleeping in the dirt, and the experience with the Flying Fish they tried to eat didn't add to her love of camping.

The ninth day, she had made it the village. When she finally saw the buildings, she became so happy that she could have cried. However, that happiness abruptly ended when she reached the entrance of the town. A bored looking local guard stood outside, picking at food in his teeth.

"Sorry _ma'am,_ but there is no place for you here. We don't approve of outsiders."

Instead of waiting for her response, he started picking at food stuck in between his teeth again and ignored her. She blinked at him, and continued on her way into town. "Hey, did you hear what I said?" The guard said annoyed. She continued on her way, ignoring what the guard said afterwards.

If she couldn't stay, she would at least buy a decent meal for tonight and carriage out of here. She walked through the town, looking for a shop or anything to buy food from.

Lucy came across several shops, but they all had their doors swinging on the hinges. Stray items littered the streets, from kids toys to plates and clothes.

Lucy had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She glanced back towards the entrance, but the guard was gone. She was half tempted to save herself and run, but she couldn't let another town be destroyed. She continued walking down the street, following the dropped items.

Right before she came around a corner, she heard a man yelling. She crouched behind a building with her hand hovering over her keys.

Once she was sure she was safe for the moment, she started listening to what the man was saying.

"If you can't listen up, something bad might happen to your mayor. And we wouldn't want that, now would we?" Lucy heard the man sneer.

"I'll say it one more time, what do you know of The Abyssal Book? It's quite important to us, and we know you know something about it." Lucy stole a glance around the corner, and forced herself not to gasp in horror.

The men had rounded everyone in town like cattle, and had a noose around a man's neck. Lucy assumed he was the mayor, and she was not going to let him die.

The mayor was standing on a stool next to a large tree, and Lucy started thinking of a plan to save them. When she finished thinking out plan, she was about to make her move. The mayor make Lucy freeze by uttering a simple sentence.

"Alright! I...I'll tell you everything about The Abyssal Book." He sounded disgusted with himself. Lucy was at a crossroads. She wasn't sure whether she should listen in and then save them, but chances were the mayor would be killed before she could save him.

If she did save him, he could tell her afterwards. Lucy made up her mind, but it was too late. Before she noticed, the guard from before swiftly hit her with the blunt of a sword.

All Lucy remembered was the hard ground fast approaching, and then everything being consumed by blackness.


	9. Down By The Hanging Tree

Well, it's a day later than I wanted to update, but you guys should know how I am about updating by now. It's usually last minute and my revising it consists on reading it once or twice over. But hey, I could be worse! Anyways, thanks for almost 30 followers. At the most, I was expecting the story to get 10 followers, so it's a nice surprise to see how many people like my story.

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><p>Lucy hit the ground, knocking her bruised head against the ground. She remained unconscious while the guard brought her to the man who was controlling everything, and she wasn't waking when she was tied to a chair next to the hanging tree. While her captor continued with the interrogation against the villagers, Lucy began to slowly wake. She interrupted his questioning with her moaning, causing him to turn and face Lucy. When her eyes fluttered open after several minutes he gave Lucy a warm smile like they were old friends meeting up.<p>

"Hello there, darling." He greeted warmly.

"Who are...wher..where am I?" She whispered, her head aching horrendously.

"Don't you remember?" He cooed. When Lucy gave him a blank look, he gave her a sinister smile and flicked a lock of her hair over her shoulder. Lucy eyes widened when it all came back to her, and she glanced around. She visibly relaxed when she saw that the mayor was alive. The man's eye narrowed when he saw that she was relieved.

"I wouldn't get too relaxed, dear. He may not be dead yet, but that answer might change in the next five minutes."

"Listen," Lucy said, "you don't want to do this. I'm a F-"

"Fairy Tail mage?" He laughed, holding up her keys. She glanced down at her hip, proving that those were definitely her keys. "I takes an idiot to not know that mark on your delicate hand, which I can assure you that I am not. These fools, however," he said, gesturing to his partners, "aren't known for being clever." His men gave him a blank stare, as if they were so used to this attitude that they were completely immune to it.

Or that they were actually that dumb.

Whatever the reason, Lucy decided that whoever this man was, he was the most dangerous one and he needed to be taken out first.

But in her condition, she had no way of fighting. Not to mention that she didn't have her keys or whip. But, she would not give in so easily. She was a Fairy Tail mage, and she had to live up to that title.

"Don't bother struggling." He said while noticing her efforts to untie herself. "Even if you could untie those ropes, you would have no magic to fight with. Those ropes have been draining you of magic since you touched them, and they will drain you until you die, unless you ask me nicely to untie you." He said with a malicious smile.

She glowered him, causing him to tut disapprovingly at her serious expression.

"Now, if we could continue," he said while turning back to the mayor, "I believed you only had one more thing to tell me." He sat against the tree, smiling up at the mayor. The mayor didn't acknowledge him, but instead just stared forlornly at the sky. The leader shot up, kicking the chair far out enough so the main could only stand on the edge. "I don't like being forgotten." He hissed. The mayor was gasping and struggling to keep his footing, and the leader stared at him interested. He pushed the chair back, amused with himself.

"Now then, lets keep this civilized." Lucy glared at him, her eyes full of hatred. "I would hate for someone to get injured." He continued, ignoring Lucy's glare.

"You can't do this." Lucy proclaimed quietly, trying to keep her headache at bay. "I don't care if I'm tied up and drained of magic. I will stop you."

He sauntered over to Lucy, lifting her chin up with one of his slim fingers. He stared into her determined eyes, and gave the smallest of smiles.

"My my, you actually believe that?" Lucy turned her head, leaving his finger to hold up air. He drew his hand back, and turned his back to her.

"I don't think I've introduced myself yet." He faced Lucy again, but had a completely different expression on his face. Lucy bit back a gasp. If his expression had been crazy before, it was now demented and maniacal. "My name is Raven Church, and I will be the one to prove to you how wrong you are." He spread his arms wide, and bore his eyes into Lucy's.

"Being a Fairy Tail mage doesn't make you stronger. It makes you pitiful and feeble. You think you can do everything, but you are so wrong. I will hang this man in front of you, and then I will hang you next to him. And if any of the villagers decided to take you down after we leave, they will be hanged on this tree along with you." He pointed a finger at the villagers, and then at Lucy.

"Only then will you realize that you are utterly useless. Not only are you unable to save yourself, "He raved, "but you won't even be able to save the villagers!" Lucy was furious. Before she could even lift a finger or respond, she heard footsteps down the road she came from. Raven swiveled his head around at the noise, his delirious expression still masking his face. Lucy could recognize him from his footsteps, and started laughing in joy.

"Why are you laughing? You are about to die and-"

"You done with your speech yet?" The figure from the road said. Raven turned to face the figure, seething.

"If not, I'll have to cut you short. I'm all fired up now." His eyes gleamed in anticipation, he could smell the battle approaching him. Raven stared at the newest arrival, and gave him a questioning glare.

"The thing about Fairy Tail mages, they always have friends with them." He replied to Raven's questioning look.

Lucy, headache forgotten, could only think of one thing, but could not say it since she was so full of fervor of her partners sudden appearance.

"Natsu." Lucy thought again, filled with relief. "Thank you, Natsu."


End file.
